Right to Education takes centre stage
Daily News & Analysis, 17 July 2012

MUMBAI: While the school education department is still embarrassed about poor admissions under the 25% mandatory quota in private schools in the city, students across Maharashtra have taken up the issue and come forward with a plan to make the 2009 Right to Education Act a success next year. They plan to launch a huge awareness campaign by next month, file various RTI applications and create pressure groups to ensure that the Act is implemented efficiently.

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Government to collect data on 25% seats given to poor kids under RTE
The Times of India, 15 July 2012

AJMER: Information under Right To Education Act from each school will now reveal which caste and religion are deprived of qualitative education in the state. The government has asked every block to send information on 25% free admissions in private schools stating caste and religion of the child. The elementary education department is now collecting information from every private school for implementing 25% seats to students of deprived and poor families in their locality.

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School panel to monitor tuitions
The Times of India, 16 July 2012

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Government schoolteachers, who try to earn some extra cash through private tuitions, may not be able do so hereafter. School Management Committees (SMC), set up in accordance with the provisions of the Right to Education Act, have been given the task of ensuring that teachers stick to their main job. The government had issued the order to set up the committees last month.

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2.3L kids out of school in Maharashtra, finds survey
The Times of India, 16 July 2012

MUMBAI: Over two lakh children in Maharashtra, the country's second most literate major state, do not attend school. This is four times the out-of-school population about a decade ago. Not surprisingly, most of them are children of farm labourers, in particular those who work in sugarcane, sweetlime and cotton cultivation, and many are from tribal areas. But activists say the figure has been underreported and in reality is at least five lakh.

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Now, no school in Maharashtra can dodge RTE
Daily News & Analysis, 13 July 2012

MUMBAI: The state education department has said schools which have received concessions from the government on land, water, tax and others should not be able to escape from implementing the Right to Education Act (RTE). The department has suggested that such schools cannot call themselves “unaided minorities”, as they have received help from the state government in some form or another. The department is now conducting a survey of city schools to find out the kind of concessions that have been given to such unaided schools.

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86 private Marathi schools yet to get govt recognition
Daily News & Analysis, 14 July 2012

PUNE: In a bid to draw the education department’s attention to the state government’s pending decision to give recognition to 86 private Marathi medium schools across the state; the Shikshan Hakk Samanvay Samiti (SHSS) has decided to agitate outside the office of the director of education from July 16. The SHSS is the umbrella institution for private Marathi schools. There are some 88 private Marathi medium primary and secondary schools that are imparting good quality education in the state.

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Education dreams anchored on the shores
The Hindu, 14 July 2012

ALAPUZZHA: In the times of implementation of Right to Education Act, nearly a score of children, majority of them belonging to SC community, in the R-block in Kainakary grama panchayat have their education dreams anchored on the shore as they could not get a boat to reach their school in Kottayam district on time. The people of R-block, completely surrounded the vast Vembanad lake has no other options than boat service to venture out.

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Cross-border educationists endorse school vouchers
Deccan Herald, 15 July 2012

A team of education activists from Pakistan and members of Delhi-based Centre for Civil Society shared their experience on the ‘school voucher project’ in both countries. At an event at St Mark’s Convent School in Seelampur in north-east Delhi on Wednesday, Tajamul Hanif from the Pakistan-based National Commission for Human Development said, “Our government is extremely supportive of private intervention in education, though this is not a priority in the country. We are still in the stage of formulating Right to Education laws, which means most schools in Pakistan are not registered”.

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Evidence from America and Britain shows that independence for schools works
The Economist, 07 July 2012

FOR decades too many educationalists have succumbed to the tyranny of low expectations, at least when it comes to those at the bottom of the heap. In rich countries, this generation of adults is not doing well by its children. They will have to pay off huge public-sector debts. They will be expected to foot colossal bills for their parents’ pension and health costs. They will compete for jobs with people from emerging countries, many of whom have better education systems despite their lower incomes. The least this generation can do for its children is to try its best to improve its state schools. Giving them more independence can do that at no extra cost. Let there be more of it.

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The Behavioralist Goes to School: Leveraging Behavioral Economics to Improve Educational Performance
Authors: Steven D. Levitt, John A. List, Susanne Neckermann and Sally Sado

Abstract: Decades of research on behavioral economics have established the importance of factors that are typically absent from the standard economic framework: reference dependent preferences, hyperbolic preferences, and the value placed on non-financial rewards. To date, these insights have had little impact on the way the educational system operates. Through a series of field experiments involving thousands of primary and secondary school students, we demonstrate the power of behavioral economics to influence educational performance. Several insights emerge.

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Using libraries and reward incentives to improve learning outcomes
New research finds that providing schools with library facilities (containing high quality reading material designed to support the existing language curriculum) does not have any impact on children's language skills. Click here to learn more

Socialist Vouchers for Education
The ideology behind vouchers in India and China differs deeply. However, with respect to educating its people, China has been far more successful than India. Click here to read more

FM Radio to become tool for education
While FM radio is gaining popularity among the masses, State Institute of Education Technology (SIET) is set to cash in on the FM wave and use it as a learning tool for students in remote areas. Click here to know more

To initiate and continue the discussion amongst concerned groups and individuals on the issue of right of education and monitor the implementation
of the RTE Act, an RTE Coalition has been formed. Join the coalition to make universal elementary education a reality in India.

Log on to www.righttoeducation.in
for more information

Skill Vouchers - Global Experiences and Lessons for India

Leah Verghese and Parth J Shah

A study of the role that skill vouchers can play in catalysing demand for quality skill development services. This study examines global experiences with skill vouchers and draws lessons for India from these experiences.

For more click here

Reservation in Private Schools under the Right to Education Act: Model for Implementation

Shekhar Mittal and Parth J Shah

Through this document the Centre for Civil Society seeks to highlight the lacunae in the current framework for 25% reservation for weaker and disadvantaged groups in unaided private schools and seeks to provide inputs on effective implementation of the same.

For more click here

School Vouchers for Girls

400 girl children from poor families of North East Delhi receive school vouchers for a period of 4 years.
For details visit our website

For more details on how to support, log on to www.schoolchoice.in or email us at [email protected]

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